Supreme Court criticizes Prayagraj home demolitions

The Supreme Court of India criticized the Uttar Pradesh government for its recent demolition of homes in Prayagraj, calling it a "high handed" act that shocked their conscience. The court, which included Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, expressed concern over the speed of the demolitions. Houses were bulldozed just 24 hours after notices were served, without giving residents a chance to appeal. The court emphasized that such actions cannot be allowed to continue. They highlighted the importance of following proper legal procedures in such cases. If the petitioners file appeals as promised, the court will permit them to rebuild their homes. However, if their appeals are rejected, they must then demolish the new constructions at their own expense. The attorney general, R Venkataramani, defended the state’s actions, arguing that there has been large-scale illegal occupation of land. He stated that managing unauthorized possessions is challenging for the government. This is not the first time the Supreme Court has criticized Uttar Pradesh for enforcing demolitions without due process. The homes were demolished under the belief that they were on land belonging to gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed, who died in a police encounter in 2023. The petitioners, who include advocate Zulfiqar Haider and professor Ali Ahmed, claimed they were unjustly targeted. The Allahabad High Court had previously rejected their plea to stop the demolitions.